


Die By Your Hand

by nyagosstar



Series: Bitter 'verse [1]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-03
Updated: 2012-10-03
Packaged: 2017-11-15 13:34:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 690
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/527865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nyagosstar/pseuds/nyagosstar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hughes is always the first to know.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Die By Your Hand

**Author's Note:**

> This work falls chronologically first in my Bitter Universe and was part of my sadly unfinished 30 Wounds Challenge on LJ.
> 
> Beta provided, pretty much as always, by the awesome sainnis on LJ

Roy looked up as Maes walked into his office without knocking and settled into a seat across from him, his long legs thrown up on Roy’s desk and a strange expression on his face.

“So,” Maes said slowly, his gaze traveling the length of the room before settling on Roy.

“Can I help you?” No photos, no immediate reason for his visit. Shit, Roy thought, he knows. Roy pulled out a stack of papers and held them aloft like a shield. “I have a huge backlog to get through, so I don’t have a lot of time.”

Maes waved dismissively. “Those papers have waited two weeks already. What’s a couple more hours between friends?” He reached into his pocket and it was all Roy could do not to flinch, but only photos emerged. “I’ve got pictures. Want to see?”

Roy set aside his papers and leaned forward. Maybe he didn’t know. “What do you have?” He’d tried in the recent past to keep Maes to a three picture rule, but it never seemed to work out that way. The man had more hidden pockets and places to secret the slim bits of shiny paper than Roy knew he had in his own uniform.

“Look, here’s Elysia and Ed eating in the kitchen. Isn’t she so cute? And this one is Ben riding on Ed’s shoulders.” Maes kept flipping pictures down onto Roy’s desk, each a still of one or both of his children with Ed. He did know. Shit.

“So, you and Ed, huh?” He leaned back, leaving the scattering of photos strewn across Roy’s desk.

“I’m sorry?”

“You and Ed. You’d have to be an idiot to think no one would notice.”

“He’s not a child anymore.” Hadn’t been a child for years, but there was no one like Maes to make Roy feel like he was doing something wrong even when he wasn’t.

“Which is why I didn’t come in here and break your pretty face. Take a look at the pictures, Roy. He’s like a member of my family. He’s like the older brother Elysia and Ben never had.”

“So, what, you came here to threaten me?”

Maes frowned at him. “Someone needs to. If it’s just the two of you having a little bit of fun, that’s fine. I’m all for my friends having fun, but if you’re messing with him or leading him on, I will come back and my fist with have an abrupt conversation with your face. Those boys have been through too much for you to play with his feelings.” He ran a hand through his hair. “You’ve just made all of our lives far more complicated, and I hope you thought this through before you let your dick do your thinking.”

“I’m not going to justify this to you. We’re both adults.”

“That’s fine for now. But I’m not the only one who’s going to be asking questions. If this keeps up, you’re going to be put on the spot by people who don’t have your best interests in mind and you’d better have a damn good answer for them.”

“What about ‘I think I love him?’” Roy swallowed against the sudden tightness in his throat and the rock in his stomach. No one had ever made him feel the way he felt around Ed. Maybe it was because no one challenged him or played with him the way Ed did. Maybe it was because he didn’t have to woo Ed, didn’t have to bring him flowers and tell him how pretty his eyes looked with the color of his jacket. Maybe it was because finally, he’d found someone who was his equal, who could stand next to his presence and not be swallowed whole. But Ed, even though not a child, was so young. Roy kept waiting for Ed to move on to someone else. He’d obviously come to their relationship with prior experience, and Roy was just waiting for Ed’s eye to wander.

“That’d be a good answer.” Hughes stood, collecting his pictures. “Are you happy?”

Roy nodded, hardly daring to believe it was true. “I am.”

“Okay, then.”


End file.
